


it happens a bit like this

by civillove



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26325031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/civillove/pseuds/civillove
Summary: @flynnboyant prompt from twitter. “Dani invites JT out for a post work drink. JT knows something is up and then Dani goes, "I think I'm in love with Bright" and JT says, "Oh, I'm going to need a lot more shots for this!"”--Dani’s not exactly a warm and fuzzy person—she’s got layers, things that you gotta peel back in order to get to know her, to see her underneath the outer personas she shares with the world. Malcolm recognizes her, almost instantly; a few observations and he’s got a lot of her figured out and for a while she doesn’t think that’s anything special. He also knows a lot of random classifications of octopods and it certainly doesn’t make him a marine biologist.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 19
Kudos: 124





	it happens a bit like this

**Author's Note:**

> notes 1: i feel like this has a bit more brightwell than your prompt intended but i don't tell my writing what to do, it just does it  
> notes 2: for some reason this doesn't feel like my best work but i think i'm just rusty but anyways, i really hope you like it xx

Dani’s not exactly a warm and fuzzy person—she’s got layers, things that you gotta peel back in order to get to know her, to _see_ her underneath the outer personas she shares with the world. Malcolm recognizes her, almost instantly; a few observations and he’s got a lot of her figured out and for a while she doesn’t think that’s anything special. He also knows a lot of random classifications of octopods and it certainly doesn’t make him a marine biologist.

He’s an incredible profiler so digging deeper isn’t difficult for him; he reads her like words in a book, a new one that he’s just pulled off the shelf but is already getting used to. Her pages feel familiar between his fingertips. And she thinks it’s just as simple as that, Malcolm using his observational skills in place of getting to know her because he’s not good at building relationships.

She wants to tell him _neither am I, you’re not alone in that_ but it never seems to make it off the tip of her tongue. Bright gives her small smiles sometimes, just the tilt of his lips, and Dani figures he already knows without saying it.

She makes the mistake of assuming that she’s just something new in Bright’s life that he hasn’t quite figured out yet, that he’ll eventually ‘solve’ her or get bored and move on. Dani realizes that’s the farthest thing from the truth when Malcolm sets a small ceramic witch’s cauldron on her desk while she’s doing paperwork.

Dani blinks at it, running her gaze over the ridiculous purple ‘foam’ that’s curling over the sides of the shiny, black base. She slowly puts her pen down, glancing back up at Malcolm who looks noticeably pleased with himself.

“It’s a witch’s cauldron!”

“I can see that.” She feels like she’s missing some sort of inside joke. “Why is it on my desk?”

“Oh, we were talking about bats a few weeks ago and I realized you’d probably like this. I saw it and thought of you.”

She attempts to play catch-up with her memory about the last month when they were discussing bats and what it might have to do with a ceramic witch’s cauldron. Bright tilts his head slightly at her, sticking his hands in his pockets—she assumes to hide the fact that his hands are fidgeting.

“Halloween.” He says and _oh—_

“You remember that?” She raises an eyebrow, more of a rhetorical question because clearly he does thanks to a Brightism and eidetic memory.

They were stuck in a car on a mini stake out, talking about anything and everything to pass the time and Malcolm started spouting off all these facts about bats. They’re one of her favorite animals but also remind her of the _best_ holiday, non-negotiable, which was Halloween. She remembers Malcolm’s smile at her inside the car, even though it was dark at the time, his amusement to her carrying on about decorating early, jack-o-lantern carving contests she’s entered and her the best costume she’s ever had—dressing up as a witch in the third grade.

“I remember most things.” Bright smiles, sitting on the corner of her desk.

“That’s so unlike you,” She teases, picking up the witch’s cauldron. It fits in the palm of her hand, heavy enough to be a paperweight and she tries to decide whether to take it home with her or use it for just that.

“You know, I dunno how many times I can bail you out of a scolding lesson from Gil. Though _this_ bribe is particularly nice.”

Malcolm laughs, something short and amused. “I’m not in trouble.” He says, then: “Yet. The day is early. So it’s not a bribe—just something nice. For a friend.”

It takes her a moment to see that he’s flustered, underneath the calm and collected exterior, his blue eyes are hesitant and his fingers twitch when he moves to run a hand through his hair.

“Oh we’re friends?” Dani raises an eyebrow, hoping to make him squirm a little more.

Bright chews on his lower lip, considering the words resting on his tongue before he says them, “Well, I’m working on bumping it up to a date but I haven’t quite made it there yet.”

The delivery is surprisingly smooth and very unlike him that she doesn’t respond for a moment, setting the cauldron down on her desk. “I think you just did.”

Malcolm smiles, dipping his chin a little before he shakes his head. "Did you know that the word cauldron actually comes from the Latin word _caldruis_? Which means 'hot'.”

Dani rolls her eyes because of course she didn’t know that but she’s laughing gently when she shoos him away from her desk, unable to keep the smile off her face.

\--

It happens a bit like this: one date turns into a few which turn into many. They work and see one another after a case closes. They spend mornings getting tea together, walking across crowded New York streets with their hands brushing, and nights curled up in-between sheets and within arms.

As Malcolm breaks down her barriers, she undoubtedly is doing the same thing to him. They become loose translations of the other, books a perfect pairing, one that can't be read without the other. Sometimes Dani's felt too open-ended, a question mark without the bottom half, a hanging curved hook. She never feels like that when Malcolm kisses her.

Their relationship becomes so normal, embedded in routine and shared intimacies, that it takes her a while to realize what's happened.

It occurs to her on a Thursday night that doesn't stick out on the calendar after a case that doesn't take them long to solve. Dani’s sitting in the middle of Malcolm’s bed in a large sweater and her underwear while Malcolm is _ranting_ about the many differences between the elephant ear pastry vs. the elephant ear plant and—

She scrunches her nose, “Why are you even comparing the two?”

Bright licks cinnamon sugar off his upper lip before swallowing a bite of fried dough in his mouth, “Because they have the same name and that shit bothers me.”

Dani laughs, reaching for her coffee on the bedside table. “Well I mean, they _do_ kinda look like one another. Flat piece of dough and a big leaf in the same shape. Blame whoever came up with the idea.”

“You know it's actually called a _Colocasia_ for the plant and a _Palmier_ for the pastry, which translates into _pig’s ear._ It makes no sense.”

“Neither does your argument.” She raises an eyebrow, setting the mug back down on the nightstand as she finishes her last bite of the elephant ear.

Malcolm looks mock offended at her accusation, clicking his tongue off the roof of his mouth before slowly walking back towards the bed. Dani can read him a mile away and she’s shaking her head, saying _no,_ but it’s too late—he bounds towards her, jumping onto the mattress and pressing her body into the comforter.

A laugh echoes out of her chest as his arms come down, creating a cage around her, holding himself up with his elbows. He smiles down at her, dipping his chin to nuzzle their noses briefly before he kisses her. Bright’s hand winds itself in her curls and she tastes cinnamon sugar on his tongue.

Yeah, she thinks she gets it now.

\--

Malcolm almost gets shot _again_ and Dani’s so mad and worried that she doesn’t know whether she wants to hug him or punch him in the throat.

It’s all accidental, of course, the way things happen on cases sometimes—they get themselves into situations that are incredibly hard to spin their way out of. It’s not all Bright’s fault _exactly,_ but once he starts talking it’s hard to shut him up. It’s a distracting technique that she knows Malcolm does when he’s supposed to wait for backup. But reminding the killer of why their past experiences with trauma is an utter mess and _that’s_ why they’re behaving a certain way isn’t the best strategy to de-escalate in her book.

She remembers hearing the gun go off moments before bursting into the room with JT, how her heart had been in her throat, blood pounding in her ears. Dani still has dizzying black dots in front of her eyes as she waits for Bright to get checked out by the medic. Other than a scraped arm and bumps and bruises from throwing himself down to avoid a bullet, Bright’s just fine.

“That EMT guy is going to have to come back around with burn cream if you’re going to keep blazing a hole into me with your eyes.” Bright mutters, looking down at his arm before up at her.

Dani feels the muscles in her jaw clench as she glares at him, taking a step forward. “You need to stop doing that.”

He sighs softly but a soft smile begins tugging the corners of his mouth, “Dani—I’m fine.”

“I mean it.” She all but cuts him off, shaking her head.

Bright holds her gaze for a long instant before he nods his head. He reaches for her then, even when Dani takes a step back to pull away. Tugging her gently forward by her wrist, it takes Dani a moment to realize how badly she’s trembling. Malcolm folds her against his chest, his one hand winding through her hair while the other works pressured circles against her lower back.

She lets out a long sigh, beginning to feel herself relax as he plants a kiss under her ear. That sensation of completeness from knowing he’s okay reaches through her chest and grabs on with a vice-like grip.

There’s a startling realization that settles directly into her bones, so sudden that she repeats the same phrase over and over again with each draw of his fingers through her curls but she doesn’t utter the words out loud.

\--

Dani takes a slow sip of her beer as she sits at a hole in the wall bar with JT after closing a case. Edrisa couldn’t join because she’s got too much paperwork to fill out, Gil has a date that he’s not talking about but everyone knows he has and Bright went to visit his father. She doesn’t mind just hanging with JT though; he’s like an aggravating older brother and they both enjoy the same kinda food and a game of pool when there’s been too much to drink.

Unfortunately for her, this time around she’s a little distracted. It’s almost been a week since Bright nearly got shot and she’s had these unsaid words rolling around in her head like a washing machine. It makes it hard to concentrate. Every time she goes to talk about it the syllables get stuck in the back of her throat.

Dani blinks suddenly, realizing JT’s asked her a question. “What?”

“I said,” He licks his lips after finishing an onion ring from their shared appetizer platter. “Were you over or under on the bet for ‘how many times will Bright get shot at’ for the month? I can’t remember.”

“Under…” Dani says, turning her beer in place as she trails off.

JT smiles, reaching for a mozzarella stick this time. “I think it’s your turn to buy the next round then.”

He barely finishes his sentence before she’s talking over him, “I think I’m falling in love with Bright.” It’s not something she’s ready to say to anyone else—sometimes she even has a hard time admitting it to _herself._

A strangled noise leaves her partner’s lips as he half chokes on the food in his mouth, coughing before he takes a slow sip of beer. “Jesus, Powell—I’m going to need more shots for this if we’re going to talk about _that.”_

Dani groans, putting her face in her hands before her head falls forward onto the table for a moment. What a fucking nightmare.

She hears JT motion the waitress over and order a round of vodka which she in no way wants to drink but maybe if she actually ends up _talking_ about this, she’ll need it.

“So,” JT says after moment once the shots are messily sat down. Dani lifts her head, pillowing her chin in her hand, “You wanna run that by me again?”

“Yeah, I know, what a disaster.” She reaches for the other shot glass but he takes it from her before she can, tipping it back into his mouth. A sudden laugh slips out of her lips, “Hey! What was the point of ordering those?”

“Clearly they were for me.”

“Look,” Dani plays with a few curls near her ear, “This…it kinda came out of nowhere, you know I’m not exactly the sentimental type.”

JT snorts before picking at the apps that are leftover, taking a mozzarella stick and dipping it in way too much sauce for her taste. “Oh nah you’re not sentimental at all, that’s why you still have that little witch pot on your desk that he got you.”

She kicks him in his shin under the table, “Okay, first of all? It’s a cauldron—and maybe Bright’s changed my outlook on bein’ sentimental. I love Halloween and he knows that.”

JT chuckles softly, leaning back in his chair. “Yeah, yeah. I’m not sayin’ that you don’t know what you’re doing but…Bright’s a…” She watches him struggle for the right words, maybe wanting to say _different_ or _not your type._

“We’re kinda a mess sometimes,” Dani admits, “But we’re figuring it out together.”

Her partner nods, wiping his hands on a napkin before he leans back in his chair. He plays with the shot glass between his fingers, turning it in a slow circle. “Long as you’re happy right? That’s all that matters.” He smirks, “I don’t need to go through the big brother routine—you could lay his ass out any time you wanted.”

Dani laughs, shaking her head, “Yeah and Malcolm _definitely_ knows that.”

“I’ve seen you take down a few perps too and it’s no fucking joke.”

“Then you better stop making _fun_ of my impromptu love confession and order me a shot I can actually drink—not to mention another plate of apps wouldn’t hurt.”

JT snorts and waves down the waitress again.

\--

When Dani unlocks her apartment, Malcolm is already there on her couch in a t-shirt and joggers, flipping mindlessly through TV stations. He probably won’t spend the night because they haven’t quite figured out the no restraints thing with her bed but it’s always nice to come home to him.

“Hey,” Bright leans up a little and adjusts his position on the cushions, stretching his legs out across the length of the couch.

Dani toes off her boots and hangs up her coat by the front door, letting out a long sigh as she puts her gun and badge in a small lock box in a closet by the hallway. She moves towards Bright, smiling a little as she sees he’s made himself comfortable with easy-bake cookies on the coffee table.

“How was seeing your dad?” She asks.

Bright reaches for her, their hands mapping together before he tugs her down onto his body. Dani adjusts herself easily on his lap, her one hand resting on his side and playing with the fabric of his shirt.

“I’m pretty sure lobotomies are less painful.” He mumbles before looking up at her, “How was drinks with JT?”

“Nowhere near close to a lobotomy but,” Dani shrugs her one shoulder, pulling her hair back into a loose bun. “I thought I was going to poke him in the face with a mozzarella stick if he kept throwing back the apps so fast.”

Bright chuckles softly, his hands resting on her hips. “I think at this point he should really know better than to come between you and food.”

“It’s a common mistake that people make.” She grins, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips.

Bright shrugs, nuzzling their noses gently before she pulls back. “Which is why I specifically left you cookies.”

Dani looks over at the plate and grabs one, taking a small bite before licking her lips. She gets a few crumbs on Malcolm’s abdomen but he doesn’t seem to care, his bright blue eyes following her movements with light amusement. And maybe it’s all part of it—something she hadn’t noticed before until right up to saying it out loud to JT, that this is what it feels like when it finally starts to shift into place.

Something as easy as eating cookies on someone’s lap that makes her smile.

Dani puts the cookie down and leans down to kiss him again and Bright hums, squeezing her hips when he tastes chocolate on her tongue. She meant what she said to JT about them being a little bit of a mess, that they always don’t have their relationship mapped out—it’s so new to them both. But in moments like this? She knows that they’ll figure it out and those three words won’t be so difficult to say at all.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading. i'm over at blainesebastian on tumblr.


End file.
